Anchor Chain source on East Coast

smokey73

smokey73

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Oct 26, 2010
2,153
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Time for new anchor chain. Experience and thoughts from this forum is always appreciated.

My Hunter 40.5 is about 20,000 lbs. Anchoring is only occasional and generally in water less than 12 feet at low tide but in our area the tidal range is about 8 feet so the "effective depth" when at high tide is about 20 ft and there is 5 feet of freeboard. There are pretty good reversing tidal currents in the areas I would normally anchor ranging for 1 to 1.58 knots of tidal current at max ebb. Current chain is 5/16" G4 and works well in my anchor windlass. I don't race so keeping bow weight to a minimum is not a factor.

I'd really like to get US made anchor chain if I can source it.

1. What would be the recommendation for length of chain and for three strand rode for the anchoring conditions I described? I currently have 110 feet of the 5/16 G4 and 100 feet of three strand nylon.
2, I am considering including a Mantus stainless swivel attached with two shackles to the anchor to reduce side load on the shank. I know there are a lot of different thoughts on this.

Any perspectives would be appreciated.
 
jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
23,263
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
smokey73 said:
I am considering including a Mantus stainless swivel
Click to expand
On my recent cruise, when using my Mantus anchor, 110ft of chain, and Mantus swivel, I experienced a new behaviour I do not remember from earlier usage. As the chain was retrieved, the swivel spun enough to remove any twists (as expected). When the anchor lifted from the water, the anchor rotated with the tip up. Previous experiences had the tip rotate down (preferred as it is the way the anchor needs to rest in the bow roller). I am still trying to understand why this is occurring. It requires me to push the anchor with the boat hook to retrieve the anchor correctly into the bow roller.
 
smokey73

smokey73

.
Oct 26, 2010
2,153
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
@jssailem I don't have a swivel on right now and most of the time, my anchor retrieves with the tip up and I often to use the "boat hook" rotation trick to get it on the bow roller correctly. It happens more often than not without the swivel. I was hoping the swivel would stop this annoying behavior. "Bad Anchor, Bad Anchor :soapbox:"
 
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jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
23,263
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I am not sure of the cause. I plan on checking for corrosion on the swivel and will let you know.
Regarding swivels, I think the Mantus is the strongest I have found.
 
Rich Stidger

Rich Stidger

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Feb 10, 2004
4,146
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
Pro Anchoring Tip - To get the anchor to orient correctly, simply motor a couple knots in reverse with the anchor just below the water surface. It will orient correctly. Then quickly raise the anchor before it spins around. I have a Mantus swivel and while it helps to un-twist the chain, it doesn't guarantee correct anchor orientation on retrieval.

smokey73 said:
1. What would be the recommendation for length of chain and for three strand rode for the anchoring conditions I described? I currently have 110 feet of the 5/16 G4 and 100 feet of three strand nylon.
2, I am considering including a Mantus stainless swivel attached with two shackles to the anchor to reduce side load on the shank. I know there are a lot of different thoughts on this.

Any perspectives would be appreciated.
Click to expand
@smokey73 - I anchor in depths up to 35 feet with 170 feet of G4 5/16" chain. I have all chain, no rope. As I stated above, I have a Mantus swivel. The Mantus design is such that you don't need additional shackles to reduce any side load. The design will not allow a side load to develop.
I do use a scope of 7:1, but beyond 25 feet my scope is obviously reduced. At 35 feet I'm only about 5:1. But some sources claim that for all chain, 5:1 is adequate - maybe not for a storm, but for reasonable winds and currents in a protected anchorage.
 
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Rich Stidger

Rich Stidger

.
Feb 10, 2004
4,146
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
smokey73 said:
I'd really like to get US made anchor chain if I can source it.
Click to expand
ACCO brand chain is very common. I would be surprised if there is not a supplier near you. If you search the archives here, I recall that another brand was highly recommended and claimed to be better than ACCO.
Be sure to check businesses that sell chain other than boating stores. I think that hot-dipped galvanized chain is the best, and I'm not sure if ACCO uses that process. A local supplier is almost a must due to the high cost of shipping.
 
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Hello Below

Hello Below

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May 7, 2012
1,559
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
smokey73 said:
@jssailem I don't have a swivel on right now and most of the time, my anchor retrieves with the tip up and I often to use the "boat hook" rotation trick to get it on the bow roller correctly. It happens more often than not without the swivel. I was hoping the swivel would stop this annoying behavior. "Bad Anchor, Bad Anchor :soapbox:"
Click to expand
I put one of these on this spring and since then every one of the 25 retrievals have been right side up. Previously it was a 50% chance. Sometimes reversing at 2 kts to turn the anchor right side up in a tight anchor is not feasible or advisable.
Anchor Right - Flip Link
 
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Captain Larry-DH

Captain Larry-DH

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Jun 14, 2010
2,357
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
jssailem said:
On my recent cruise, when using my Mantus anchor, 110ft of chain, and Mantus swivel, I experienced a new behaviour I do not remember from earlier usage. As the chain was retrieved, the swivel spun enough to remove any twists (as expected). When the anchor lifted from the water, the anchor rotated with the tip up. Previous experiences had the tip rotate down (preferred as it is the way the anchor needs to rest in the bow roller). I am still trying to understand why this is occurring. It requires me to push the anchor with the boat hook to retrieve the anchor correctly into the bow roller.
Click to expand
It’s not the swivel. The swivel will allow the anchor to “vane“ based on based on (horizontal) water flow. If you drive the boat forward it will point one way, reversing the boat will allow it to point the other way.
Edit: My Rocna Vulcan anchor does the same thing.
 
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